In this week’s Letters From War Wednesday, we feature an October 1944 correspondence from U.S. Army airman, Bob Berkes. Berkes would later serve over Northern Europe with the 305th Bomb Group as a gunner aboard the B-17 bomber, Forever Amber. But this note comes from Kingman, Arizona, while Berkes and his crew were still learning [...]
Not to take anything away from our mothers, but this past Sunday, May 8, also marked VE Day. VE (Victory Europe) Day commemorates Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945,–the end of World War II in Europe. In addition to the States and England, many countries across the globe celebrate VE Day. How do [...]
The bond between a mother and her son is truly beyond words. And when that son goes off to war, his mother could not be more proud … and equally terrified. But then, for some, in an instant, life ends as they previously knew it. Maybe they saw the car roll up the drive and [...]
If you’re anything like the History Junkie, no matter how disinterested you were in the recent royal wedding between William and Kate, you still ingested bits and pieces through the non-stop force feeding of coverage. Most interesting to me … no, not Kate’s wedding dress … was Prince William’s work with the RAF Air-Sea Rescue. [...]
Hump day, and time for our weekly feature, Letters From War Wednesdays. Harold Hastings was drafted by the U.S. Army pre-Pearl Harbor, in October 1941. He fell in with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 168th Infantry, 34th Infantry Division. In November 1942, Hastings joined 30,000 Allied troops for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. On [...]
The Battle at Anzio Beach, Italy is, without question, one of the key engagements of World War II. This past summer, the History Junkie had the pleasure of attending a Reunion of Anzio Beach Veterans. Talking with these folks was a truly moving experience, and one I shall never forget. My latest release, EVERYTOWN, USA [...]
Danny Weber was an All-American boy, starring center stage on his high school basketball and baseball teams. He was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1966. In October 1967, Weber turned 20, and set foot in Vietnam. He would serve down south, refueling aircraft, with the 13th Combat Aviation Battalion. “We just got done having [...]
This week’s Letters From War Wednesdays comes to us from World War II and Lt. Phil Snyder. Snyder landed at Normandy’s Utah Beach as a platoon leader with the 315th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division. While still fighting on the Cotentin Peninsula, Snyder was wounded on July 3, 1944. He healed and rehabbed in an English [...]
I am continually fascinated by artifacts from wars past, whether it be swords, uniforms, flags … whatever. One of the most interesting pieces I’ve personally come across is a Bible from the Vietnam War. Infantryman Jack Fulk worked the midland jungles as a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. “We [...]
Charles Fall served in the American Civil War with the 26th Michigan. In May 1864, General Grant launched his Overland Campaign. Opposing armies first clashed at the Battle of the Wilderness, then met outside Spotsylvania Courthouse. Fall and his 26th Michigan found themselves at the center of it all. On May 12, 1864, at dawn, [...]